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Iwilltell him how I feelifhe really is jealous of me and Dylan. He’d have to confront his feelings then, and I wouldn’t get laughed at for spilling my guts if he’s realized he feels the same way.
Dylan studies me for what feels like an eternity, before releasing a long-suffering sigh. “Fine.”
This time I do let my excitement show, jumping up and down and throwing my arms around him. “Thank you, thank you!”
He grabs my shoulders and peels me away from him. “But we’re not going out of our way to make him jealous. No blatant flirting or anything, because you’reyou, and that would be gross.”
I’m not offended by his statement because I know exactly what he means and feel the same about him.
“But,” he continues, “if you want to stand near me around him and laugh louder or whatever so he reads the situation however he wants to read it, then fine. But I’m not changing the way I act around you to make it seem like we’re something we’re not just to make him jealous. I realize you would’ve done those things without me even knowing you were making him jealous, so at least now I’ll know why you’ll randomly start laughing at me when Kellan walks in the room.”
“You know me so well.”
“I do.” He shoots me a crooked grin. “It’s annoying.”
Dylan really is my best friend after Lori and, ironically, Kellan.
“But,” Dylan adds, “the second you realize he’s jealous, you’re telling him how you feel.”
I nod my head vigorously. I’ve already come to that conclusion. I don’twantto play these stupid games, but it’s a matter of protecting myself. I can’t have Kellan stomp on my heart then hand it back to me in pieces, because a rejection from him would hurt more than it would from anyone else. I know it deep in my core. It would break me, so I need to be certain before doing anything.
“Promise,” I say. “Let’s go join the game.”
Our friends have stopped playing and are standing around talking, and when they see us, Lori runs over to me. Dylan ruffles her hair because he’s Dylan and he’s annoying, then continues to the guys, who chat some distance over.
Lori’s voice is excited but lowered so the guys can’t hear us.
“Oh my gosh, Faye! I’m having so much fun.”
I grin. “I can tell. You’ve been ogling Mr. Tan-Buff-Sweaty-and-Shirtless over there all day.”
She follows my gesture to Dean and snaps back to look at me, her face heating. “I am not!” She pauses and adds even lower, “It’s not obvious, is it?”
“Not nearly as much as it would be if I were the one doing the ogling.”
As she glances at him, a small smile forms on her face. “I think I . . . like . . . Dean.”
I raise a teasing eyebrow. “I thought you liked my brother?”
Her face reddens completely as she bites her lip. “Adam is . . . hot. Dean is too, but Dean . . . I think he gets me. You know?”
Hell, anyone with eyes can tell that Dean’s gorgeous. My brotherdefinitelyisn’t but thank goodness Lori doesn’t have a real crush on Adam. I was always fine knowing she thought he was hot, which wasbarf, but this morning when I thought something had actuallyhappenedbetween them, I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
But I’m glad Lori’s connecting with Dean. I should tell her how I feel about Kellan—how Ireallyfeel about him. I start to tell her, but the words get stuck in my throat. What if she thinks my plan is juvenile? What if she tells me that it’s not right to keep this from Adam? What if she tells me she doesn’t think Kellan could ever see me as anything more than a fling?
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I blurt before I’m tempted to spill my guts.
“Let’s head over to the game.”
I eye the boys in front of me with a newfound interest because of my new knowledge. This plan is easier now that it makes sense.
If Kellan’s jealous, that means he cares about me. He just needs a push in the right direction, and now I have a game plan.
THIRTEEN
